He buys a Ford Focus to comply with the ZFE, but has a series of unexplained breakdowns

To comply with the regulations for low-emission zones (LEZ), Laurent, from Asnières (Hauts-de-Seine), had the merit of anticipation, by parting with his diesel car - a Ford Focus C-Max - in 2023. He headed to Yvelines to acquire the same model, but a petrol version, second-hand, with the Crit'Air 1 label. A significant investment of 19,000 euros, but essential to " stay mobile in the Paris region ", Laurent thought at the time.

The transaction went smoothly, and for barely a month, the father thought he had made the right choice. "But the car started to jerk," the buyer recalls. "Nothing alarming at first, just a few hesitations from the engine." In October 2023, while returning from a weekend in the seaside resort of La Baule , the driver saw his vehicle showing truly worrying signs. " On the way back, at the Savenay toll booth (Loire-Atlantique), the car coughed and stuttered ," he says. Anxiety mounted: there were several hundred kilometers left to cover.

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Despite attempts to restart it, the vehicle, with 15,000 kilometers on the odometer and less than two years old, gave up on the highway. The arrangements were then made: the tow truck, the improvised hotel night, and the hasty return train to Paris. The Ford Focus C-Max, meanwhile, was taken up residence at a garage in Angers for a stay that would last two weeks. " The guy couldn't find anything. He just said, 'You used a lot of brakes, the pads are worn, this isn't normal.'" An explanation that intrigued Laurent, especially since the vehicle had only covered a few thousand kilometers.

Three months later, the nightmare begins again. This time, the engine light illuminates on the dashboard, accompanied by a new symptom: a brake fluid leak. Six months later, it's all over again. Same symptoms, same flashing warning lights, same abrupt engine shutdown.

Faced with this inexplicable repetition, a mechanic was able to formulate a hypothesis: " the chassis was poorly assembled, with all the automatic sensors poorly adjusted, not associated with the chassis, and poorly made connections ." Potential consequence: the automatic braking would be triggered permanently, indiscriminately, prematurely wearing out all the system's components. "It's as if on the bike, you were always riding with the front brake," illustrates Laurent.

Faced with these repeated malfunctions , the owner turned to his dealer. The response was unequivocal: " It wasn't their fault, not related to them, all this with a nice formal letter telling us that we were managing on our own. We would have liked some gesture ," laments the Asnières resident, then showing resignation. " To prove the chassis assembly fault, we would have to call in an expert, which would represent a cost of 500 euros. It's time, money, energy... I have other battles to fight. "

Scalded, Laurent finally decided to sell his vehicle to a garage "without hiding the car's problems." The professional was interested in recovering and reselling the spare parts. He headed to Hyundai to buy a new Kona for 21,500 euros. " We did a comparative study on the Internet. It was a family car that allowed us to go skiing, to the sea, all with good value for money ," he explains. Since then, zero problems " it's a joy," Laurent delights.

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This mishap fundamentally changed his view of car buying. Laurent now has a clear strategy: buy new and resell after five years, to always retain the benefit of the manufacturer's warranty. By renewing his vehicle before the first technical inspection , Laurent not only frees himself from this administrative constraint, but also ensures he stays in step with regulatory developments.

Between the ZFE saga , the gradual electrification of the vehicle fleet and the emergence of new driver assistance technologies, this five-year rotation allows him to anticipate changes rather than undergo them. A philosophy which, despite a higher initial cost, guarantees him the serenity he had lost in the meanders of his Ford Focus C-Max.